Presently, voltage regulators are being integrated onto the packages of microprocessors within computing devices. However, the present solutions for on-package voltage regulators employ an external voltage regulator that down-converts a 12 volt (V) supply to an intermediate 3V input voltage (e.g., 3V) for the on-package regulator. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional power delivery scheme includes a 12V supply 106 on motherboard 105 that is coupled to the motherboard voltage regulator (MBVR) 110. The MBVR 110 is further coupled to an integrated voltage regulator (IVR) 120 to supply the IVR 120 with a regulated 3V power source. The IVR 120 is integrated onto the package 115 housing the central processing unit (CPU) 125 to provide the CPU 125 with a regulated 1.5V power source.
Personal computing devices are trending towards smaller sizes with a simultaneous increase in the number of features. The power delivery network requirements of the devices are therefore increasing while the motherboard space for such a network shrinks. Typically, the MBVR 110 is a buck-type regulator employing at least one magnetic device, such as an inductor, in each phase. However, such magnetic components require a significant amount of area, making it unpractical to integrate them onto the package substrate. In addition, they are relatively inefficient when operated at lights loads. A need exists for a readily scalable power delivery network which can be operated efficiently over a range of loads and can be integrated into a smaller form factor.